Makeup I Packed For a Short Trip

So classes start on Monday for me and my boyfriend and I are gathering up our dogs for one more trip to parents' before I won't have time to visit for several months. I probably won't get to see them again until December, which makes me sad. :( It takes 5 hours to drive there so we're leaving early today and we'll be there until Sunday afternoon. I showed you guys what I brought with me when I visited them for a week and a half earlier this year (that post is here). I thought I brought more than enough makeup then, but I ended up not wanting to wear anything I brought, haha!  This is a shorter trip so I'm bringing much less and it was so hard to narrow it down.

Haha, editing the pictures right now I realized that I forgot to pack mascara! Phew, glad I didn't forget that. If I could only pick one item of makeup to wear it would be mascara as it alters my appearance the most. Invisible eyelashes for the loss!

This time I picked the the bag I was going to use BEFORE I picked the makeup I was taking. This definitely helped me not try and bring my whole collection. And I am inordinately proud of myself that I only brought one blush. Haha, I have the worst willpower ever if I'm proud of that. I'm seriously considering trying to stuff another one in the bag, but I must resist!

Here is everything shoved inside the bag. It fits, I promise!

I love this bag; it's from Tarte.I'm on 2 different auto-delivery things of Tarte makeup from QVC and each time I get sent a different purple bag. I have 3 right now and love them all!


Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

My Makeup Stash!

Several months ago I bought a Sterilite 5 drawer thing to store my makeup in.

I figured it had more room than I could ever use.  Oh how wrong I was!  My stash has grown considerably from what it used to be.  Look at this post and compare with the following pictures to see how much crap I've bought in a pretty short period of time.  Yeah, I need to slow down and use what I have.

First Drawer

The far left basket is all my eyeliners, the middle is all my brushes, the top right is single eyeshadows and the bottom left has cream eyeshadows in pots and pencil and gel eyeliners.

Second Drawer

The top left has most of my eyeshadow palettes and some mascaras that don't seem to fit anywhere else. The bottom left basket has loose pigments and shadows that are not indie. The right basket has smaller eyeshadow palettes, duos, and trios.

Third Drawer

The top left basket has concealers, foundations, and powders.  The bottom left has highlighters and primers.  The right basket is all blushes.

Fourth Drawer

The top left basket has lipsticks and a random bottle of brush cleaner.  The bottom left has lipglosses and the right basket is all indie eye shadow.

Fifth Drawer

This is a random drawer. It has my Naked palette and a Sleek palette, random samples, and the rest are things I don't use very often.


How do you guys store your makeup?  If you have posts about it please share them!


Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Makeup I Packed For Vacation

So the boy and I (and our dogs) are going on a little vacation. Nothing big, I'll tell you a little more about it tomorrow because I'm running out of time!  I still have to pack my other things!

I just wanted to show you guys what I'm taking with me.  Like always, I'm taking way more makeup than I need.  We're only going to be gone a little less than a week and half, but I feel like I'm bringing a lot.  Hey, I like options when it comes to makeup.  Clothes on the other hand- meh, I'll wear whatever.  I'm probably just bring a few pairs of jeans, my Converse, and some shirts.  We'll have access to a washing machine so I don't need to pack my whole closet.  My boyfriend on the other hand probably will pack his whole closet.  I swear he changes clothes like 3 or 4 times a day.  While I sometimes wear the same jeans 2 days in a row. Shhh...

So here is what I'm bringing:

Sorry about my ugly makeup brushes- they need a bath.

Yikes! Looking at this picture made me realize I almost forgot my mascara.  Now THAT would have been a disaster.  And I don't think my boyfriend would have let us turn the car around to get it.  Oh, and I don't have any lip products here because they are all in my purse already.

So does it all fit in my makeup bag?

Yup!  Just barely!  I had to take a few things out, as much it pained me to do, but it fits!  It's hard to believe that not so long ago (last year) this makeup bag held all the makeup I own in the world.  Now it holds about a 10th of it.

And here are the nail polishes I'm bringing:

I had to severely limit myself to only bring this many.  I'm not going to lie, it was hard. :-P  I know I won't use all of these, but I'm used to having hundreds of nail polishes to choose from, so once again I need options!


So, what about you guys?  When you go on vacation do you tend to over-pack or under-pack?  And what makeup do you bring?


Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

MAC's Superslick Liquid Eye Liners Rock My World! Swatches and Review

Just because I like the world to be aware of my failings, I want everyone to know that I'm terrible with liquid eyeliner.  Pretty much the only eyeliners I'm okay at using are pencils.  I have a shaky hand and more than once have gouged my eyeball.  Between that and wearing contacts for 12 years, I have eyeballs of steel now.  The other day a drop of vinegar flew in my eye and all I had was a mild burning that went away after 5 seconds.  Because of my shakiness, my eyeliner usually ends up looking like it was applied by a 6 year old with caffeine jitters.  To remedy this I apply my eyeliner a bit thicker to even it out and by the time I'm done, half of my eyelid is "lined".  And I will still have a gap right by my lash line.

Okay, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but not much.  It has taken me years to get mildly proficient at applying eyeliner.  Which is why I thought MAC's Superslick eyeliners would never work for me.

Well spank my bum and call me Sally!  Was I ever surprised when I was able to get a smooth even line on my first try!  I attribute it to the pointed applicator that has a bit of give to it and glides along perfectly along my lash line.  Also, the colors are beautiful and opaque.  I'm still a novice and don't quite have the application down perfect yet, so sometimes I need to go back and put another coat because I push down too hard and the liquid smooshes out on either side of the applicator leaving a little trail in the middle.  You know what I'm talking about?  I attribute that to user error though.  The formula is great; it's thin but not watery.  It dries down very quickly and won't budge until you want to remove it.

I currently own 4 colors and plan on picking up more when my budget allows it.

I have:

• Pure Show- a neutral gold microglitter packed in a sheer base
• Treat Me Nice- a medium green with gold shimmer
• Desires & Devices- a blackened dirty gold with olive tones
• Smokey Heir- a darkened purple shimmer

 

Pros:

• Extremely long lasting
• A good range of colors
• Easy to apply
• Great pigmentation
• Dries quickly

Cons:

• A relatively small amount of liner for the price
• The gold may need two coats for opacity if you aren't careful in your application
• Needs more than soap and water for removal.  An oil-based eye makeup remover works best.

Available:

• $17.50 at MAC stores, counters, and their website
• Macy's website
• Dillards' website
• Nordstrom website

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Like Buttah- Korres Lip Butter Glaze Review and Swatches

I love Korres.  I love the aesthetic, I love that they're natural, and mostly I just love the products.  Okay, so I don't LOVE the prices because I'm a drugstore girl at heart, but all of their products I've tried have been worth it.  The very first time I stepped into Sephora I didn't know any of the brands or what products were good.  I just walked around in a daze due to sticker shock.  I somehow ended up in front of the Korres display and the Lip Butters immediately caught my eye (I've been a lip balm lover for as long as I can remember).  While still more than I was used to paying, at $10 the Lip Butters were less expensive than some of the other items I had been eyeing, so I pick one up in Pomegranate.

I love the way they feel on my lips. They're pigmented, but still feel soft and moisturizing.  What I'm not so crazy about is the packaging.  I'm not really a germaphobe so I don't mind sticking my fingers in pots for that reason, I just don't like having bright coral lip balm all over my hands.  I'm not a kid anymore so I can't get away with wiping it on my shirt or jeans (ahh, those days were nice).

But Korres listened to their fans and put the Lip Butters in squeeze tubes with a slant tip applicator.  YAY TOOBS!  They're $4 more than the Lip Butters in pots, but have 0.34 oz versus the pots' 0.21.  And I actually got mine in a set around the holidays with 3 tubes for $24.00... a great deal.  Even though the set is no longer available, the tubes are still worth the price (Also, Korres often has discount codess for 30% off their website).

The colors I have are:

• Jasmine- a sheer milky light pink
• Pomegranate- a bright coral
• Raspberry- a berry red

They came in the packaging.  I know some people complained about it being ugly, but I like it for some reason.

From left: Jasmine, Pomegranate, Raspberry

The bottom swatch of Pomegranate is from the Lip Butter in the pot.  The color is exactly the same but the ones in the pot are a little thicker and not as shiny.

Bare lips for reference

Lip Butter Glaze in Jasmine

This one feels a little gritty or something.  That happens with lip balms sometimes when the butters or oils crystallize.  I'm not sure if this is whats happening here, but I think I may just have an off tube.  The others I have are not like this.

Lip Butter Glaze in Pomegranate

Lip Butter Glaze in Raspberry

Pros:

• Moisturizing and comfortable on the lips
• Easy to apply from the tube
• A good option for those looking for a pigmented moisturizing gloss
• Non-sticky
• Offer more product than the Lip Butter pots

Cons:

• More expensive than the lip butters in the pots
• Only available in 5 colors
• One of mine has a gritty feel

Available:

• $14.00 at Korres' website
• At Sephora stores and their website
• A 4-pack for $29.95 at HSN

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

28-Pan Blush Palette... A Lifetime Supply of Blush? Review and Swatches

I'm sooo sleepy today.  I just got back yesterday from visiting my parents for a few days (they live 5 hours away) and I'm always exhausted when I get home.  It's a combination of not sleeping in my own bed, trying to cram as much stuff to do in a limited amount of time, and chasing 5 dogs around the house.  I have 3 and my parents have 2, so it gets a bit crazy.  Plus, I'm always a bit melancholy when I get home because I am very close with my family and I don't get to see them often enough.  I feel like I'm wasting a good part of our lives together living so far away, but it's either here with the boy(friend) or there with them... and I guess I have made my decision to be here.

Boo, sorry for being such a downer!  I do have some swatches for ya! 

I used to be one of those people who thought I could live the rest of my life with one blush.  As I said in my post about Revlon's cream blushes... When I first started getting more into makeup I never thought about blush.  I went to Sephora, bought one neutral pinky rose powder blush and thought I was set for life.  I would often tell my boyfriend with an air of superiority, "How can anyone need more than one blush?"  Oh, how wrong I was.  Oh so wrong.

So when I started obsessing over blushes my next idea was that I just needed a whole bunch of colors to choose from and THEN I would be satisfied the rest of my life.  So I bought a 28-pan blush palette off eBay and thought I would be happy.  Of course I was wrong again, but that is a different story.  Let's talk about this palette.

28-pan blush palette from eBay

I bought this from eBay several months ago for $10.84 including shipping.  Like most palettes like this, it shipped from Hong Kong so it took a few weeks to get.  These same palettes are sold by resellers from anywhere from 2 to 5 times as much.  All they do is stamp their name on the front and charge a buttload more (yes, a buttload is a precise measurement).  There is also a 10 pan blush palette but it costs exactly the same as the 28 pan so I went with that one.

For example, compare this 10-pan blush palette from Coastal Scents that costs $15.95 plus shipping, to these 10-pan blush palettes on eBay that start for under $8.  Exactly the same right!?  You're welcome, I just saved you some money!

There is a big variety in the texture, pigmentation, and finish of the blushes.  Some are pigmented and apply well and some are sheer and patchy.  The finishes vary from mattes, to shimmers (some frosty) to ones containing micro glitter. 

All of these are swatched on bare, dry skin with my fingers.

1st Row

This row contains cooler-toned pinks.  This row also contains the sheerest colors, but the pigmentation still varies (you can barely see the swatch on the far left but the one of the far right is very pigmented).

2nd Row

This row is a mix of cool and warm-toned pinks with a coral or two.  I really like the blush on the far left as a highlighter on my super pale skin.

3rd Row

These are mostly orange blushes with two nudes in the middle.  You can barely see them, especially the first one, because they are almost the same color as my skin.  I'm not sure what I would use them for.

4th Row

This row has coral blushes.  These are the most pigmented of the whole palette.  Seriously, it is worth buying this palette for this row alone.

Pros:

• Really cheap.  It comes out to about $0.28 per blush!
• Some really pretty and pigmented shades
• A good way to experiment and see how certain colors look on you before buying more expensive brands.  For example, I've always wondered how I look in orange blush, but never dared to buy any!

Cons:

• Shipping takes awhile as it does come from Hong Kong
• Some of the shades are sheer and patchy
• The packaging is cheap black plastic and smells a bit funny

Available:

• On eBay for around $10.  I've bought several things from this seller and have never had a problem, but other sellers have it for a few dollars cheaper.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

I Like It Cheap and Easy- My Makeup Storage Solution

Liking it cheap and easy is not always best, but when it comes to storage, it's what works best for me.  I don't want something complicated that takes 10 years to assemble or requires a complex system of levers and pulleys screwed with special screws to the ceiling or something.  I also don't want it to cost much, because I would rather be spending it on other things (ahem, makeup and nail polish).

I spent all my money on "other things" for so long that the makeup just piled up on a shelf in my linen closet.  I also kept stuffing more and more into my makeup bag until it couldn't close anymore.  I was so frustrated with the disorganization I resorted to only using the top few items in my makeup bag and neglecting the rest.

I finally (!) decided I needed some organization.  So I headed down to Walmart, bought a Sterilite 5 drawer storage tower, and some organizer baskets.  I have a bit of OCD so organizing is fun for me; but I'm also lazy so I rarely do it.  I guess the laziness usually wins.

The  storage tower was $17.97 and the 3 3-packs and 1 2-pack of organizers were $1.17 each.  So for under $25 with tax I'm set!

Oh, and I have something else for my nail polish collection.  Unfortunately it would not all fit in one of these on its own, much less sharing it with makeup.

Empty and ready to be filled!

The storage trays

As you can see the inserts fit perfectly, almost as if they were made to fit in the drawers (they weren't though, I just got lucky).

1st drawer

The top left basket has single pressed eyeshadows.
The top right has cream shadows, gel and cream eyeliners, and eyeshadow pencils.
The middle has my makeup brushes and a tube of Too Faced Shadow Insurance that snuck in there.
The bottom drawer has pen and pencil eyeliners.

2nd drawer

The top basket has pressed eyeshadow palettes with 2 to 6 shadows and some random mascaras.
The bottom left has foundations and concealers.
The bottom right has face powders and primers.

3rd drawer

The top basket has loose eyeshadows.  Mostly Fyrinnae samples on the left and L'Oreal HIP pigments on the right.
The bottom left has eyeshadow palettes.
The bottom right has blushes.

4th drawer

In the back are a few of those huge multi-pan palettes from eBay.
The middle is a random bronzer I never wear and Maybelline Dream Mousse shadows I got from Dollar Tree.
The front basket has a few lip products that aren't currently in my purse (I have about 10 times as many in my purse).

5th drawer

This just has a few empty makeup bags.  Yay!  Room for expansion!

I purchased the Sterilite 5 drawer tower at Walmart, but I don't see in their website or even the Sterilite website.  Maybe it was discontinued and what I bought was just old stock.  It is similar to to this one, but it has 7 drawers instead.


Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Tarte 8th World Wonder Set swatches and review

I have always thought of QVC as something old ladies watch and get suckered into buying things they don't need.  Well, maybe I'm partially right... but it's so much more than that!  I didn't realize they sold some of my favorite makeup brands like Tarte and Smashbox.  And you can often get better deals from QVC than you can from say, Sephora. Also QVC often has exclusives that aren't available at other retailers.  For example, QVC often offers sets of items for a low price that would retail for over 3 times as much.  And that is exactly what this post is about.

I had been craving the Tarte 8th World Wonder collection for weeks and I finally caved in and bought it.  I'm so glad it did!  The kit has 7 items and I bought mine for a little over $48 (with tax and shipping it was almost $58, but still totally worth it).

This kit includes:

• 1.7 fl oz Amazonian clay balancing foundation SPF 15 with brush in choice of Fair, Light, Medium, Tan or Deep
• 0.008 oz. Amazonian clay automatic waterproof eyeliner in Golden Plum
• 0.14 fl oz Pure Optic moisturizing lip gloss in Golden Pink
• 0.24 fl oz Lights, Camera, Lashes! volumizing mascara in Black
• 0.20 oz Amazonian clay 12-hour wear powder blush in Glisten
• Amazonian clay long-wear eyeshadow palette with four 0.06 oz shades: Dark Brown; Shimmering Bronze; light Sand; and Shimmering Plum
• Deluxe Airbrush Finish Foundation Brush
• Purple Braided Makeup Bag 

I see that the kit is still available on QVC but the only foundation option is in Deep.  In my opinion it would still be worth it to buy the kit even in the foundation shade is completely worng for you.  The other items in the kit are way worth the price.  The foundation brush itself could probably sell for $48.

Now on the pictures and swatches!

Everything came packed in this bag.  The bad is lined and feels nicely made and not cheap at all.  I hate how in some sets the bag always feels like a cheap afterthought, but this one is really nice.

All the items in their plastic packaging.  The set also came with a sample of Tarte's new Maracuja Oil.

Airbrush Finish Foundation Brush

The brush is really big, soft, and fluffy, but dense enough to buff on foundation.  I have large hands and it still looks big.  It IS big.  The brush is vegan and has a recycled bamboo handle.  The brush really did make my foundation look soft-focused and air brushed.

Pure Optic lipgloss in Golden Pink

It looks just like a Stila Lip Glaze doesn't it?

I am so bad with these pen lip glosses.  I always make too much come out.

Picture taken with flash

This washes the color out a little bit, but is pretty color accurate.

Picture taken under a light bulb

This makes the pink look warmer toned than it really is, but accurately shows the thick texture, incredible shine, and all the gold glitter.

The gloss doesn't impart much color on my lips, but the gold shimmer/glitter is really pretty.  There is a lot of the glitter, but it still manages to be delicate looking.  The gloss is mint scented and flavored.  It is very thick, but not as sticky as MAC's Lipglasses.

Amazonian Clay blush in Glisten

The flash washed the color out a bit.  It is darker and pinker.

Swatched heavily on the left. Blended out on the right.

The color is a pinky coral with gold shimmer.

Amazonian clay automatic waterproof eyeliner in Golden Plum

This is a plum brown shimmer.  It really is long lasting too; I couldn't remove it rubbing with a dry finger.  However it came off really easily with makeup remover.

Amazonian clay long-wear eyeshadow palette

The recycled bamboo case is really beautiful and it feels heavy and substantial in your hand.  The magnet holds the lid closed securely but it is not hard to open.

The colors are from left: Dark Brown, Light Sand, Shimmering Bronze, and Shimmering Plum.  The shadows are pigmented and soft and don't kick up a lot of dust when picked up with a brush.  The plum is more of a matte with shimmer pieces and doesn't swatch as pigmented as the other 3 colors.  It works better applied on the eye over primer rather than swatched on the arm.  Which is a good thing because most people wear eyeshadow on their eyes... not their arms!

Here is a look I did with the eyeshadow palette and the eyeliner.  You can tell they aren't patchy at all and blend together beautifully.

Amazonian clay balancing foundation SPF 15 in Fair

I blended the foundation out to the right of the swatch and it looks a little bit too yellow for my skintone.  However on my face it is a pretty good match.  I have a hard time finding foundations light enough and this one is.  The texture is almost mousse-like.  It is soft and creamy and dries down well.  It is more coverage than I'm used to but I was able to buff it down using the foundation brush.

The ingredient list.

Overall, my favorite items are the blush, eyeshadows, and foundation brush, but they are all awesome and I don't find a dud in the entire set.

Here is a quick rundown of the products:

• Brush- big and soft, not at all scratchy.  Is dense enough to buff, but not too dense.
• Lipgloss- thick and glossy with a mint flavor.  Sheer with lots of gold shimmer.
• Blush- incredibly pigmented and soft.  Not too powdery. Very shimmery.
• Eyeliner- Pigmented and doesn't tug on your lids. Long lasting but removes easily with makeup remover.
• Eyeshadow- Soft, pigmented and not patchy. Blend well and don't fade.
• Foundation- Only available in a few shades which may not match everyone. Soft, mousse-like texture.  Better applied with a foundation brush and buffed in.

Available

• Only one foundation shade is left on QVC (Deep). Currently selling for $52.74 plus tax and shipping.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!